are these hydroids?

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 10:20 AM

I can't get a picture because they are very very tiny and therefore unphotographable.
They look like a dandelion seed and are under 2 millimetres in length. they stick straight up, not out of a tube as far as I can see. there are about 14 clustered together on a 1/2 inch portion at the bottom of a rock,but spread apart enough so that none of their 'crowns' are touching, and none elsewhereon the rocks or glass.
they're white, and each head has 5-8 'tantacles' on the head. sorry for the lack of better vocabulary!
I hope this is a sufficient description, if you need more specific info, just ask.
could these be colonial hydroids? they seem too small, but I have no experience with these

any ideas, and if they are harmful???
thank you so much!!!!!

downbeach · 04/03/2013, 10:26 AM

Take a look here, and see if there is anything familiar.

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 01:38 PM

they look kind of like the 10th picture of hydroids, except mine are white, and it doesn't say how big they are.
so, will these hurt anything? i just can't see those miniscule things being able to inflict damage on anything! even a little hermit crab is probably 100x bigger than it!
it says they will die off once they have depleted their fod source...what exactly is that food source???

alexander_ktn · 04/03/2013, 01:45 PM

Copepods

scnr

They eat plankton. I have and always had a few hydroids in my tanks, they never took over and never went completely away... Thank god I never had the brown fuzzy kind, those are a nightmare I hear...

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 02:59 PM

they eat copeopds? Yay! I've got plenty of those to spare!
you think I should be ok then?
should I try to pull some out or will that just cause problems?
will they hurt coral?
thx!

alexander_ktn · 04/03/2013, 03:09 PM

It's hard to say without knowing the exact species, but you are most likely fine.

If a copepod swims right in front of them they might be able to catch it - not that that will do much to the population...

And with your small tank you are in the great position that if anything really started to become a pest you could simply take out the offending rock and scrub it down (or do whatever treatment is necessary).

SushiGirl · 04/03/2013, 04:17 PM

If they look like these, they're hydroids. They can sting stuff & make it not want to grow in that area (like zoas). I haven't found a way to kill them because they're so tiny. About the only thing I could do was a peroxide dip, and that didn't work. I tried to pull them off with tweezers & that didn't work either.

You can see the closed zoas that they're next to. They didn't like them at all.

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 04:33 PM

yeah, they look pretty much like that. will they spread like crazy or stay mostly in that area,? I,m not planning to put anything in that dark, bottom cormer anyway!

SushiGirl · 04/03/2013, 06:24 PM

Mine are all over.

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 07:21 PM

like, troublesome all over, or just kina there all over...?

SushiGirl · 04/03/2013, 07:25 PM

Only troublesome if you let it be LOL. There's nothing I can do about it, so I don't let it bother me.

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 07:47 PM

but is it bothering your tank?

SushiGirl · 04/03/2013, 09:55 PM

It bothers zoas it grows next to.

04/03/2013, 10:20 AM	#1
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	are these hydroids? I can't get a picture because they are very very tiny and therefore unphotographable. They look like a dandelion seed and are under 2 millimetres in length. they stick straight up, not out of a tube as far as I can see. there are about 14 clustered together on a 1/2 inch portion at the bottom of a rock,but spread apart enough so that none of their 'crowns' are touching, and none elsewhereon the rocks or glass. they're white, and each head has 5-8 'tantacles' on the head. sorry for the lack of better vocabulary! I hope this is a sufficient description, if you need more specific info, just ask. could these be colonial hydroids? they seem too small, but I have no experience with these any ideas, and if they are harmful??? thank you so much!!!!! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 01:38 PM	#3
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	they look kind of like the 10th picture of hydroids, except mine are white, and it doesn't say how big they are. so, will these hurt anything? i just can't see those miniscule things being able to inflict damage on anything! even a little hermit crab is probably 100x bigger than it! it says they will die off once they have depleted their fod source...what exactly is that food source??? __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 02:59 PM	#5
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	they eat copeopds? Yay! I've got plenty of those to spare! you think I should be ok then? should I try to pull some out or will that just cause problems? will they hurt coral? thx! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 04:17 PM	#7
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	If they look like these, they're hydroids. They can sting stuff & make it not want to grow in that area (like zoas). I haven't found a way to kill them because they're so tiny. About the only thing I could do was a peroxide dip, and that didn't work. I tried to pull them off with tweezers & that didn't work either. You can see the closed zoas that they're next to. They didn't like them at all. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

04/03/2013, 04:33 PM	#8
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	yeah, they look pretty much like that. will they spread like crazy or stay mostly in that area,? I,m not planning to put anything in that dark, bottom cormer anyway! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 10:26 AM	#2
downbeach Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Smyrna, Delaware Posts: 3,767	Take a look here, and see if there is anything familiar.

04/03/2013, 01:45 PM	#4
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	Copepods scnr They eat plankton. I have and always had a few hydroids in my tanks, they never took over and never went completely away... Thank god I never had the brown fuzzy kind, those are a nightmare I hear...

04/03/2013, 03:09 PM	#6
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	It's hard to say without knowing the exact species, but you are most likely fine. If a copepod swims right in front of them they might be able to catch it - not that that will do much to the population... And with your small tank you are in the great position that if anything really started to become a pest you could simply take out the offending rock and scrub it down (or do whatever treatment is necessary).

04/03/2013, 06:24 PM	#9
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Mine are all over. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

04/03/2013, 07:21 PM	#10
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	like, troublesome all over, or just kina there all over...? __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 07:25 PM	#11
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Only troublesome if you let it be LOL. There's nothing I can do about it, so I don't let it bother me. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

04/03/2013, 07:47 PM	#12
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	but is it bothering your tank? __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 09:55 PM	#13
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	It bothers zoas it grows next to. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank